There are multiple dichotomies when it comes to Michigan football and Fox Sports' coverage of the Wolverines at the moment. Ardent fans of the maize and blue hate Urban Meyer and he hates Michigan so much he won't even say the word. But one of his best friends is Kyle Whittingham, who coached under Meyer at Utah before taking over for him 22 years ago. And thus, everything is all mixed up -- especially considering the maize and blue faithful tend to be curious about the former Ohio State head coach's opinion.
And coming off the win over Oklahoma, Meyer's opinion on the Wolverines is high -- very high.
After speaking to Whittingham on the Triple Option Podcast with Rob Stone and Mark Ingram, Meyer was asked to grade the job that Michigan did against
the Sooners. And though he had one backhanded comment about the Western Michigan game (or result), he gave the highest praise he possibly could.
"That's, that's an easy one. And well, I'll tell you -- I got to be careful flying into Columbus, Ohio. I might get assaulted," Meyer said. "But I know the staff. And even if that was the previous staff, it is what it is. That was an A-plus. The negativity, because the reality is they should be 1-1, they lost. They should have lost, but here's a good thing is you won't hear anybody talk about Western Michigan again now, because they took care of business.
"So I'd give them an A-plus from the head coach, Jay Hill, the defense coordinator, and Jason Beck, the offense coordinator. I didn't see that (coming). I picked Oklahoma."
Though Meyer looks at quarterback Bryce Underwood and says that a lot more needs to be done in terms of development, he detailed the job that offensive coordinator Jason Beck did to put him in a position to succeed.
The game plan was something that worked in Week 2, but that doesn't mean it will work in every big game. But Meyer notes just how talented Underwood is and why Beck's plan worked. And ultimately, he thinks it can be an excellent starting point for the Michigan QB, though more must be done in the future.
"You didn't see that in the first game against Western Michigan," Meyer said. "I can't imagine that they didn't have that in the game plan, but maybe they were saving it for Oklahoma, which, as you look back, was a mistake.
"But I would say this, that every ounce of investment you put into that freak, there's a play, there's two or three plays, but there's one. They ran a loaded option into a field pressure. He ran it for a long touchdown, I think a 50-yard touchdown, whatever it was. And I paused the film with coach DiNardo there. In the United States of America, how many big, fast men can do that? I'll help you. (pauses)
"So every ounce of investment, I would agree with you. I would continue to get Tommy Carr ready, but I'm telling you after what I saw as a coach, they did half-field reads, they did isolation routes, which means I'm going to throw to JJ Buchanan on that one third down and seven or what; it was a beautiful, it was option. There's no read on an option route. I'm going to throw to you. He set his feet, set his feet, and he delivered a perfect ball.
"So I think Jason Beck, the offense coordinator, did a much better job in Week 2 than Week 1. But I'm telling you, it's worth the investment. But I agree with Mark at some point, just the way the world works -- you're going to have to sit in that pocket in a two-minute drill and go win a game. And I don't think he can do that right now, but I'm still saying he's going through some development."
Whittingham, Underwood, and company will have another opportunity this week with UTEP coming to The Big House. The game is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. EDT on Big Ten Network.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Urban Meyer gives Michigan an 'A-plus' after stunning Oklahoma win
